Ugh - He Did It Again

Stinkin' hamster.

~~~~~
When I was a kid, one of my favorite dinners Mom made was pork chops, scalloped potatoes, and applesauce. I made that for the first time last night. Came out pretty good ~ not as good as hers, but not too bad. Tonight I'm going to try to replicate Pop's chicken. I'm not sure about it, so I'll probably have to give him a call after I post this blog.

Not much news here right now, really. Chris is continuing to prepare for the State spelling bee at the end of March, and Josh's OM team is working toward their competition in just a few weeks. Ro attended a Bible study for the first time at this church we've been attending, and he enjoyed it quite a bit. It's called Biblical Distinctives, and last night's topic was the authority of Scripture. I'm going to do the study along with him, but not go to the meetings, since they don't have childcare, at least not at this point. Perhaps we'll reverse roles when the next class starts; we'll see.

Yesterday was Mardi Gras. Funny how when I was a young adult / teen, the idea of Mardi Gras really appealed to me. It was one of those things I'd always wanted to do - go to New Orleans in February to celebrate Fat Tuesday. As I got older I guess I understood more of what it means - to indulge the flesh one last time before Lent begins (today) - and the idea of Mardi Gras has sure lost a lot of its appeal, at least to me. I don't mean that to sound judgmental, and, in fact, to be honest, I still experience Mardi Gras in my daily life at times: How many times do we binge out on Sunday knowing the diet starts on Monday? But the more I am spending time in the Word the more I want to have a heart like Jesus, a heart that hates sin 365 days a year, not just in the days leading up to Easter, or once a week on Sundays. It's obviously not very difficult to hate certain sins, but it's the "little" sins I struggle with on a daily basis, most often revolving around my mouth, my attitude, etc. Big or little, however, they are all a reflection of my heart... and it sure isn't as pretty as it should be.

Anyway, today is Ash Wednesday, and I believe, the beginning of Lent. I don't have a Catholic background, but I understand the tradition is to give something up for God for this 40-day period. I like the idea... a small sacrifice for Him Who sacrificed so much for me!